Air conditioning apparatus



Jan. 6, 1942. R. F. RoPER AIR CONDITIONING APPARATUS Filed July 25, 1958 2 SheeS-Sheet l 'wha/o 5.27 fcope/x, @Ew @I M l www Jan. 6, 1942. R. F. ROPER 2,268,846

AIR CONDITIONING APPARATUS Filed July 25, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Jan. 1'9`42 UNITED STATES -PATlslvr OFFICE s Biehardlhlopmchevyca'lrrincrto neasantaemra'mwasbhgtm.0a

appumun rai, z5. lass, serai No. :21,225

schim (cuz-14o)- The present invention relates to air conditioning apparatus. More particularly, it relates to speciiic improvements in portable, self-contained, Y

airconditioning units adapted to-cool and dehumidify the air-of a single room.

It is an object of the invention toprovide improved means for disposing of the water of condensation, extracted from the indoor air during the process of lowering its humidity. v

It is a further object of the invention to utilize the waterVof condensation to facilitate cooling of the condenser of the refrigerating apparatus. To this end, the apparatus comprises improved means for performing the dual functions oi disposing of the water condensation by evaporation and, bythat evaporatio lowering the temperature of the air utilized to cool the refrigerant condenser, whereby the cooling effect of that air on the condenser is enhanced and increased.

It is a further object oi the invention to provide novel means for indicating the interior and exterior temperatures and-the interior and exterior relative humidities, to enable a user of the apparatus to determine accurately the effectiveness of the apparatus in cooling .the room and in lowering the relative humidity of the indoor air. To this end, the invention provides means for constantly maintaining indoor and outdoor wet bulb thermometers in the. wet condition by 30 lected in the trough 26', from where it will ilow utilizing the water of condensation deposited o n the evaporator.

A As shown in the accompanying drawings, the invention is applied to an apparatus of the type shown, .described and claiined in United Sta'tes Patent 2,120,208, Paschal, June '1, 1938, and reference is made to that patent for the general arrangement of parts of the air conditioning unit, the present case being directed to speciiic improvements on the apparatus of the patent. It must be understood, however, that the invention may be applied to other types of air conditioningl`units and is not limited to the details of construction shown in the accompanying drawings and described below.

In the drawings,

' Figure 1 is a top plan view of theair conditioning unit, with portions of the casing broken away for the sake of clarity.

Figure 2 is anend elevation, taken substan-A tiallyon line 2--2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an enlarged'fragmentary. vertical section taken on line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a rear elevation.

Figure 5 is an end elevation, partly in section,

showing the condenser in end elevation, and

-liigureisavertical,sectionalviewonanelilarged scale. showing a detail of the condenser.

As pointed out in the aforesaid patent, the

je instable ons er venes la, la associated with 'the casing. The casing is divided into two compartments lby a vertical partition 2l and -one compartment contains a compressor 2i, a motor 22 connected to the compressor by a belt 23, a fan l5 2l and a refrigerant condenser 25. In the other' compartment there is an evaporator 2i and-an air circulating fan 21. Indoor and outdoor air may be circulated through the casing as indicated by the arrows on the accompanying drawing,

and. as is explained more iully in the aforesaid patent and in my copending application Serial No. 221,226, illed July' 25. 1938. Beneath the evaporator 2i, there is a'water collecting trough 2i', having a pipe 2l communicating therewith and leading through or beneath the partition 2l to a trough 2l disposed below the condenser. Thus, as indoor air is circulated by the fan 21 past the cold evaporator 26, water of condensation will be deposited thereon and will be colmeans are. provided for conducting the water from the'trough 2l, by capillary attraction, up,-

wardly across the outer face of the condenser 25 and in the path of the cooling air drawn past the condenser by the fan 2l. Preferably, the ab- 40 sorbent means comprises a plurality of wicks llv threaded through copper wire, spiral coils Il secured to the' face of the condenser by solder 32 or the like. The wicks are fairly tightly embraced by the wire coils and have-their lower ends-dipping into the. water in the trough 29.

The trough 29 has its outsidewall disposed in the lower portion of the outside air inlet opening. The said wall is ,formed with a plurality of reversely bent portions, `providing projections 3l,

extending outwardly beyond the casing wall.

These extensions provide spaces for the reception of the lower ends ofthe wicks n.

The fan 24 thus circulates outside air inwardly 'I "past lthe wicks il and through the casing, thereby servingtoevaporate the water 'of condensainvention comprises a casing Il adapted to be tion carried upwardly in the wicks by capillary attraction. This evaporation serves to cool the incoming air, so that its temperature is lowered coils, being in contact withu the condenser extractheat therefrom by conduction. Also, the cooled air is drawn through the condenser to further then drawn past th/elcompressor 2| and is blown outwardly by the fan 24 to the outside, through the adjacent opening. The evaporation of the water from the wicks y30 by the stream of air travelling therepast disposes of the water of condensation deposited on the evaporator. Moreextract heat from-the refrigerant therein. It is l over, that evaporation lowers the temperature of the incoming air, the wire coils and the condenser and increasesv the cooling effect of that air on the condenser, thereby increasing the eiiiciency ofthe refrigerating apparatus.

A standard procedure for determining the relative humidity of the air is to compare a wet bulb thermometer with a dry bulb thermometer. A drop in humidity -is indicated by an increase in the difference between thel temperatures registered by the wet and dry bulb thermometers, and vice versa. The present invention provides means for indicating to the occupant of a room, the outdoor temperature and humidity and the indoor temperature and humidity, whereby he can determine the improvement in air conditions,

both as to temperature and humidity, eiikectedo by the air conditioning apparatus.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, a bracket 40 is mounted on the top wall I3 of the casing,in teriorly of the window sash l2. A similar bracket 4| is mounted onthe casing exteriorly of thev window, in position to be viewed through the window pane. The bracket 40 carries a dry bulb thermometer 42 and a wet bulb thermometer 43. Appropriate markings are disposed on the bracket to indicate the respective temperatures. A wick 44 is arranged around the bulb of the thermometer 43 to maintain the same in moistened c ondition. The wick extends downwardly through a conduit 45 to the trough 26' disposed below the evaporator 26. The wick is thus in contact with a constant source of liquid and it should be vnotedfthat the drainpipe 28 is disposed well above the bottom of the trougl so that a reserve supply of water is always present in the trough.

-The bracket 4| likewise carries wet and dry bulb thermometers and a wick 46 extends down-f wardly through Aa conduit 41 into absorptive relation to the water in the trough 26', so that the exteriorly disposed wet bulb is also supplied with moisture from the troughwhich collects the water of condensation deposited on the evaporator.

As a result of this arrangement, thewet bulbs lassociated with beth the interior and exterior i 2. A condenser assembly for use in fair conditioning apparatus, comprising a condenser unit, a trough below the lower end thereof having a vertical wall formed to provide trough extensions, a plurality of tubular metallic casings secured to one face of the condenser and terminating adjacent said trough extensions, and a wick in each casing having 'an end disposed in the trough extensions.

3. A condenser assembly for use in air conditioning apparatus, comprising a condenser, a trough enclosing `'the lower end thereof, said trough having a wall provided with reversely bent portions forming trough extensions, a plurality of spiral wire coils secured across one face of the condenser and a wick threaded through each coil having its lower end disposed in one of said trough extensions.

4. Apparatus for cooling and conditioning the air in a room or the like and means for indicating the indoor and outdoor temperatures and the relative indoor and outdoor humidities, said apparatus comprising a refrigerant evaporator, means for circulating air past said evaporator, means for collecting water of condensation deposited on the evaporator. wet and dry bulb thermometers disposed interiorly of said room, wet and dry bulb thermometers disposed exteriorly thereof, and wicks extending from each wet bulb thermometer to said means for collecting water of condensation, whereby the wet bulb thermometers are constantly maintained in the wet condition by said water of condensation.

on the casing exteriorly of said'sash and visible Jfrom the interior of the room for inspection through the window, and wicks extending from the wet bulb thermometers to the water in said collecting means, whereby said thermometers are bulb thermometer to the water in the water collecting means, whereby the wet bulb thermometer on, a condenser adapted to be cooled by the ciris constantly maintained in the wet condition by the water of condensation resulting from the operation of said apparatus.

7. The combination in an air conditioning ap paratus, of an evaporator adapted to cool inside room air circulated therepast and to de-humidify the same by the condensation of moisture thereon, a condenser including refrigerant conduits adapted to be cooled by the circulation of outside" cooling air, means for conducting `a portion of the water of condensation collected on the evaporator to a position in proximity to the condenser conduits solely by gravity flow, and absorbent means in contact. with the collected water and extending in heat exchange contact across the face of the condenser conduits first encountered by the condenser cooling air.

8. The combination in an air conditioning apparatus of an evaporator adapted to cool inside room air circulated therepast and to de-humidify `the same by the condensation of moisture thereculation ofoutside cooling air therepast, a plurality of spiral wire coils disposed across the face of the condenser in the path of the incoming cooling air, an absorbent, wick threaded through each coil,v and means for maintaining a. portion of the water of condensation collected on the evaporator in contact with said wicks.

9. The combination in an air conditioning apparatus of an evaporator adapted to cool inside room air circulated therepast and to` de-h'umidify the same by the condensation of moisture thereon, a condenser adapted to be cooled by the circulation of outside cooling air therepast, a plurality of tubular metallic casings disposed across one face of said condenser in heat conducting relation thereto and in thepath of the incoming cooling air, a wick threaded through each casing and means 4for conducting water of condensation from the evaporator to said wicks.

RICHARD F. ROPER. 

